Bridget O'Brien

Associate Producer of News and Public Affairs

Bridget O'Brien produces WLRN's The Florida Roundup as well as morning newscasts. A long-time public radio geek, she feels that audio journalism can take a story beyond text and allows listeners to truly connect through the power of voice. With a background in drama, she brings a theatrical element to everything she does.

Bridget is a Miami native and graduated from Florida State University. After spending some time on the West Coast as producer at a local station in Sarasota, she was happy to return home and join WLRN’s team.

Miami-Dade County Major Carlos Gimenez's decision to comply with President Trump's immigration detention order has sparked protests and calls to put it to a County Commission vote. We speak with Esteban Bovo, Chairman of the County Commission, about that impending meeting.

News of the death of Fidel Castro set in motion celebrations in the streets on Miami, but it also gave rise to complex emotions across generations for Cuban-Americans and others in South Florida. We look at the reactions, as well as how South Florida media prepared for years to cover this story.

As his ashes make his way from Havana to Santiago, we speak with WLRN's Americas correspondent Tim Padgett about reactions to Fidel's death in the island.

The State of Florida has budgeted about 12 million dollars to help Miami-Dade County in its efforts to battle Zika and the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Now, Florida's Surgeon General is requesting a comprehensive Zika action plan from the county to detail spending. Mayor Gimenez says he will comply. Does this signify a rift between the state and the county? WLRN's Sammy Mack and The Miami Herald's Daniel Chang fill us in on the latest.

King Tides are a natural, seasonal occurrence when the sun and moon align to pull the tides higher than normal, typically by a couple of feet. But, with sea-level rise caused by climate change, this seasonal event may become a regular occurrence. So, how should we begin preparing for it in South Florida? WLRN's Kate Stein, Miami Herald reporter Jenny Staletovich and Broward County's Chief Climate Resilience Officer Dr. Jennifer Jurado address this concern.

On Thursday, Governor Rick Scott announced that at least five people had contracted the Zika virus in Miami's Little River neighborhood. Now, there's a new Zika zone in the county, between Northwest 79th and 63rd Streets from Northwest 10th Avenue to North Miami Avenue. We get the latest from WLRN's health reporter Sammy Mack.